Examples Of Dehumanization In Night By Elie Wiesel

Throughout the Holocaust, the Jews were continuously dehumanized by the Nazis. However, these actions may not have only impacted the Jews, but they may have had the unintended effect of dehumanizing the Nazis as well. What does this say about humanity? Elie Wiesel and Art Spiegelman both acknowledge this commentary in their books, Night and Maus. The authors demonstrate that true dehumanization reveals that the nature of humanity is not quite as structured as one might think.

While dehumanizing the Jews, the Nazis also unintentionally dehumanized themselves, showing that being humane has strict qualifications. In Night, Elie Wiesel shows the Jews being dehumanized when they are being loaded into cattle cars. On page 22, Wiesel says, "The next morning we walked toward the station, where a convoy of cattle cars was waiting." The Jewish people are being herded onto a train for deportation. They are being treated as if they actually were cattle. Does this not also show characteristics of dehumanization in the Nazis?

Humanity can be defined as compassion or apathy.

By treating the Jews like animals, the Nazis are behaving like animals. This behavior shows they are not acting within the parameters of being humane. They are not showing compassion or apathy; they are simply doing what they are told. These Nazi soldiers are failing to think for themselves and therefore failing to act in accordance with being human. In order to be humane, one must think for themselves and resist the urge to comply with the pressures of society. How strong must one be to accomplish such a feat? What does it say about humanity that we can be so easily stripped of it? The Nazis took humanity away from the Jews, while also taking it away from themselves. What does it say about humanity that we can lose touch with it without even realizing

it?

In Maus, Art Spiegelman depicts his characters as cats and mice. This comparison shows the dehumanization occurring on both sides and perfectly captures the predator-prey relationship that seems to occur. As cats, the Nazis are the predator; as mice, the Jews are the prey. This symbiotic relationship is vital to survival in the wild-- this is not the wild. There is no reason for the dehumanization that occurs in the Holocaust. How far off the track of humanity have the Germans gone? How out of touch with humanity are they, that they are essentially hunting their "prey" like animals? Humanity is a fragile concept that does not always present itself on a silver platter.

To be humane is not an easy accomplishment when we can so easily be denied the chance. In Night, the Jews were completely denied the chance to maintain humanness. They lost this chance the moment they were taken from their homes. From that point forward they were animals. They had to throw compassion out the window in order to survive. Elie Wiesel best demonstrates this in the scene between Meir and his father. "Meir, my little Meir! Don't you recognize me... You're killing your father... I have bread...for you too...for you too..." (101). In the struggle for survival it becomes dog eat dog. One cannot stop to think rationally, they must abandon humanity and fight. Though if we can so easily abandon it, how strong of an idea is it?

The nature of humanity is a surreal concept. Humanity is the idea of being humane, the idea of always acting within reason. Children are raised to be kind- to think before they act- but we stray from humanity daily. Humans react on impulse. Humans are driven by instinct. To actually act in a "humane" fashion, one must step away from the natural responses. One has to become something they have never before seen. No one can truly be humane every minute of everyday. But as Elie Wiesel and Art Spiegelman show, it is imperative that one acts humanely when it matters most. Other wise, we would completely lose sight of the weakly structured concept that is humanity.